The Best Solo Shadow Priest Leveling Build

Which build is the Best Solo Shadow Priest Leveling Build is in debate, and it has been since the launch of World of Warcraft. Recently, I've looked over every single shadow priest leveling build out there and have combined the best talents from each one to reach the maximum efficiency and speed for shadow priest leveling. This Shadow Priest Leveling Build is what I came up with, and it served me well as I leveled my priest to 80.

Cooke Cutter Build

First off, we've got to take Spirit Tap and Improved Spirit Tap. This not only drastically decreases your downtime, but it can also serve well when you're forced to fight back to back battles. When leveling with this talent, it's important to always focus on killing one creature at a time so you can gain the Spirit Tap buff in the middle of your fights. Since you've also got the power to heal yourself (because you're a priest), this extra Marna can be used to get you out of tight situations. I.E. Adds, More powerful mobs than you initially expected, etc.

Improved Shadow Word: Pain is a must if you're going to achieve the best solo shadow priest leveling build. A lot of people don't realize this because it's essentially a lackluster ability, but Shadow Word: Pain is going to be your most efficient spell while leveling. That is, it gives you the most damage for your Marna. It's imperative that Shadow Word: Pain be kept up on all targets when available. Improved SWP will make it even more powerful.

Improved Psychic Scream was taken because it's simply useful when leveling. If you've got unwanted adds, more than you can handle, or an opposite allegiance player attacking you in the middle of your fight, you've got psychic scream to back you up. With the exception of healing, Priests don't have many spells that can get them out of sticky situations. Psychic Scream is one that just begs to be used.

Mind Flay...obviously. Shadow Reach is a great and definitely underestimated spell. A lot of players don't understand the power of simply being able to stand farther away from your target...especially when you wear cloth. If you've got 20% more reach, you've got 20% more time before your target gets to you. This can often mean the difference between getting an extra crit off before the target encounters you. Often times, deaths are caused because of a lack of one last spell, or just one more mind blast, etc. This can save your life, which saves you time. It also helps with runners.

Mind Melt is a solid spell. Shadow Priests have been given a great talent here and it surprises me at the amount of players that don't take it. 4% doesn't sound like much, but when it's stacked on multiple spells used during one encounter, it becomes quite significant.

As you level up, you can follow this build exactly if you like, or you can adjust as necessary. I've named and discussed a few of the talents here that are not "givens" because their importance is often lost to those attempting to experiment with different Shadow Priest Builds. This is the best solo shadow priest leveling build for ME, but ultimately, it depends on your play style to determine whether or not this is the best shadow priest leveling build for you!